Alexander Volkanovski lost his title via brutal second-round KO at the hands of Ilia Topuria, the undefeated Georgian fighter. The victory made Topuria the first fighter from Georgia to ever become a UFC champion and paved the way for the UFC to enter the market in Spain, where Topuria resides.
Post-victory, Topuria called for a fight against Conor McGregor, whereas Volkanovski called for an immediate rematch. Interestingly, both fighters had the idea for the next fight to be in Spain. However, a former UFC champion has provided his take on the potential rematch.
Demetrious Johnson talks on rumored Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria II
Demetrious Johnson, the former long-reigning UFC flyweight champion and current One flyweight champion, provided his take on the rematch between Alexander Volkanovsk and Ilia Topuria. The former UFC flyweight champion did not see it as a good idea for Volkanovski to rematch Topuria as the Georgian is the worst stylistic matchup for him.
“If they do a rematch, all Ilia has to do is touch him. He has to run away from Topuria for 25 minutes”, Johnson said of what Volkanovski and Topuria have to do to emerge victorious in the rematch. He favored Topuria in the aforementioned scenario, as it would be extremely difficult to run away from Topuria, who is an expert at cutting angles.
Demetrious Johnson doesn’t like Volk’s chances in a rematch with Topuria 😕
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 21, 2024
“If they do a rematch, all Ilia has to do is touch him. He has to run away from Topuria for 25 minutes. It's not like Volkanovski has a range advantage. I don’t think Volkanovski’s faster than him.
I… pic.twitter.com/txDonQ30tY
“It’s not like Volkanovski has a range advantage. I don’t think Volkanovski’s faster than him”, Johnson further added stating that the slight edge in range would not matter against Topuria who is considerably faster than the Australian featherweight.
It needs to be noted that Johnson had predicted a victory for Volkanovski before the fight but predicted a knockout for Topuria moments before the finish. Interestingly, Johnson had predicted the knockout loss of Volkanovski against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 as well.
Ilia Topuria rubbishes potential title bout vs Movsar Evloev
Ilia Topuria expressed interest in facing Conor McGregor, but UFC CEO Dana White seems to view it as unlikely. Movsar Evloev could be a potential opponent for Topuria, but the Georgian dismissed the idea of fighting the Ingush fighter because of his limited fan base and lack of excitement.
“He needs to finish someone. Maybe take someone from his hometown. Maybe he can fight with his dad and finish him,” Topuria said at the post-fight press conference of UFC 298 when asked about a potential fight with Movsar Evloev.
"He needs to finish someone. Maybe take someone from his home town. Maybe he can fight with his dad and finish him."
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) February 18, 2024
Ilia Topuria dismisses Movsar Evloev as a potential challenger for his new belt 😬 #UFC298 pic.twitter.com/rCYNa5YnjG
As Topuria said, Evloev does not have a single finish in the UFC, where he has fought 8 times. Moreover, he recently faced criticism from UFC CEO Dana White after his latest fight against Arnold Allen at UFC 297.
It needs to be noted that Topuria and Evloev were scheduled to fight at UFC 270, but Evloev withdrew due to injury. Charles Jourdain jumped in on short notice, but Topuria withdrew from the fight after weight-cut complications.
Who do you think will win a rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria? Leave your prediction below!
